Logan to Gloucester, rail transportation?
 

Thanks in advance for advice to a father looking to navigate his family from Logan Airport to Gloucester. From the MassPort and MBTA websites, it seems like the route is the blue line from the airport to North Station, the Newbury/Rockport line to Gloucester. Is that the simplest routing? Any insights about what a family of three (one of us just over a year old) should expect in terms of ease (or lack thereof) in travel would also be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately the blue line does not go to North Station, so you'd be looking at (1) taking an airport shuttle bus to the Airport Blue Line station, (2) taking the Blue Line to Government Center, (3) taking the Green Line to North Station, and (4) taking the commuter rail to Gloucester. (There's an alternative route that involves switching to the Orange Line rather than the Green Line, but I find the Green Line transfer to be easier.) It's doable, and not ridiculously complicated, but have you considered just renting a car?

If you don't know the topography of the MBTA, that's a hard slog with small children and baggage: bus / stairs / train / stairs / light rail tram thing / long stairs / wait for commuter train / commuter train. The Green Line, especially, is always crowded. The drive from Logan to Gloucester is about 30 minutes.

Aside from paying the $100 or so for a cab in each direction, the easiest way is to take a $10 cab ride to North Station and board the MBTA Commuter Rail to Gloucester. The trains leave from street level behind the main entrance to the Boston Garden - VERY easy to find once you get to North Station. Other posters are correct, it is a difficult haul from Logan to North Station via public transportation - even though it is less than four miles - because of the various connecting points within Boston.

Here is the MBTA commuter rail schedule for the Rockport/Gloucester line:

http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/r...Redisplay+Time

Traveling between Government Center and North Station, the crowds generally are not bad.


Given that it costs $9.75 just to get in a cab at Logan ($7.50 for the MassPort fee and tunnel toll plus $2.25 for the meter drop), you can't get anywhere from Logan for $10. I would expect a taxi from Logan to North Station to be about $20, including tip, but agree that it's a much better option than taking public transportation. Note to the OP: don't let the cab driver rip you off; make sure he takes the Sumner Tunnel and not the Ted Williams tunnel from the airport. Some drivers will try to do this, which will add about $4 to the meter.

Wow! Thanks so much.
 

I really appreciate the advice. It sounds like we'll be hailing a cab.

Cheers.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• If you take the train, be sure to arrange transportation from the Gloucester train station in advance. It is unlikely that you will find any taxi cabs at the station when you arrive.
  
  
• Be sure to look at the train schedules for the day and time that you expect to arrive. The trip to Gloucester takes an hour from North Station, and on weekdays you might have to wait up to an hour for the next train. On weekends, you might have to wait 2-3 hours for the next train.
  
  
• There is no place to put suitcases on the trains. The only storage space is an overhead rack that accommodates briefcases and topcoats.

By comparison, the drive from BOS to Gloucester is relatively simple (though the first 1/3 of the drive goes through the ugliest stretch of road in all New England), and you would not have to pass through downtown Boston or take any of the tunnels.

There's an open area at the end of the commuter rail cars where you can put your luggage. You won't have any problem except (maybe) during rush hour.

I boarded a Providence-bound commuter rail train at South Station during rush hour last week and several people had luggage with them. It really is a non-issue.